From The Jacket:
The Cast of The Night Circus
The Magicians
Hector Bowen, also known as Prospero the Enchanter: mercurial stage magician of some renown. The man in the grey suit, sometimes referred to as Mr. A. H--, occasionally called Alexander: biographical information unavailable.

Their respective students
Celia Bowen: only child of Hector Bowen and illusionist of le Cirque des Reves. Marco Alisdair: adopted pupil of the man in the grey suit and personal assistant to Chandresh Christophe Lefevre.

Associates & Conspirators behind le Cirque des Reves
Chandresh Christophe Lefevre: proprietor and theatrical producer.
Mme. Anna Padva: costume designer and retired prima ballerina.
Ethan W. Barris: architect and engineer.
The Sisters Burgess, Tara & Lainie: atmosphere specialists.
Herr Friedrick Thiessen: master clockmaker, writer, and lover of wine.

Selected Company of the Circus
Isobel Martin: fortune teller
Tsukiko: contortionist
Penelope "Poppet" Murray and Winston "Widget" Murray: twins born on Opening Night who teach impressive tricks to small cats.

And...
Bailey Alden Clarke: simply a boy on a farm with a dream.


The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway-a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love-a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.